Investigation of Hydro-piercing Method for Stainless Steels by Finite Element Method

Researches and studies on hydroforming process, which is a method that is getting more and more popular every day thanks to its many advantages in application, are ongoing. It is possible to pierce- the holes on a tube or sheet hydroformed part using hydropiercing method after the forming operation. In this study, hydropiercing process of a 304 stainless steel is simulated via the LS-Dyna in 2D axial symmetry model. In the simulations two types of punch movement was investigated to determine the contribution to the burr formation. In the simulations, Jonson-Cook hardening and damage model were used to determine the initiation of the crack on the samples. As a result, the burr formation can be eliminated by the two step movement of the punch through the piercing operation.